This is why I think they have it all backwards. Directv Now should be the satellite. You get it now. You don't need Internet or anything else except electricity. You can record anything and watch it when you want, and there is significant and growing on-demand. You get it all now, with a reliable picture that is among the best in the industry. You don't have to wait until the next day to watch episodes of new shows (like you do on the Hulu like services, I have heard). You get it all NOW. You even get it all over-the-top via a receiver, usually HR44 or similar. You can watch more than 2 things at once. I fear an all-streaming world because it seems like a step backwards. The streaming service should be an emergency back-up for people in big cities or other places where LOS can be an issue and there is fast Internet. There is a Sunday Ticket app on my TV. Today would be the last day to try it out so I did. The picture is like enchanced SD. My Internet is supposed to be 50 mpbs but today it's running less than 30 and dips to like 10 when I try to stream a game. There must be too many people on my cable line online now. I can't stream 4K from Amazon either. Frustrating. Back to my real Directv.
Edit: I did notice that some of the ads are different on the NFLST Samsung TV app than the game on actual Directv. There seemed to be a lot of Directv-stuff, even ads for Cinema on channel 125 - there is no channel 125 for people watching here to turn to, only the NFLST channels are there and not numbered.
Very interesting ...
So, you have both it sounds like.
I agree that its a step backward.
What should happen is the D* subs should be able to have D* Now for free as a back up and be able to tune to it when/if the dish goes out in bad weather.
I guess if your one that drops your cable/sat service expecting the same thing for a third of the price ... sorry about your luck.
What do they say, Nothing in life is Free.
Now if your someone that has this because its an option and its saving you money, great, but don't expect the same results as someone with an actual service.
Its the difference between a real nice home and a low income house.